Bang!
With a loud bang, a ship was completely sunk. Previously, the ship had been tampered with, and the engineers began repairs overnight. Unfortunately, the ship's problems were quite serious.
After a secret report from Yinti and Yinzhen, Kangxi decided to sink the ship.
The Qing Dynasty was determined not to let outsiders know the exact details of the sinking of its ships. Of course, many surrounding areas were paying close attention to the sinking.
Meanwhile, spies from Mongolia quietly infiltrated the area, ready to witness the final outcome of the ship's fate.
"Fourth Prince, is it really alright to do this?" Qingyan asked, looking at Yinzhen.
In fact, Yinzhen did not sink the most crucial parts of the ship. When the ship entered the sea, the engineers followed the landing ships and secretly retrieved all the most critical instruments. The sunken ship was just an empty shell.
"Of course it's fine, the ship is intact. There's still an empty hull in the warehouse. We'll have it installed, and we'll have another ship!" Yinzhen waved his hand dismissively. Yinti stood beside Yinzhen, feeling helpless at his actions.
He went to great lengths to persuade Yinzhen to completely sink the ship, including all the intricate details on board, and to dispose of everything according to Kangxi's secret decree.
Who would have thought that Yinzhen would dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him?
"Fourth brother, will Father Emperor be angered by what you're doing?" Yinti was uneasy. He and his brother knew Kangxi's temper well; if they crossed the line, Kangxi would never back down.
"I reported back to Father Emperor. At the time, I was worried that there might be problems with the people around my elder brother, so I directly dispatched the Dragon Guards to deliver them. Even my father-in-law and brothers-in-law were unaware of this!" Yinzhen did not trust anyone. The servants around him had been rigorously vetted by Kangxi countless times, so there was definitely no problem.
However, the people around Yinti and his two sons, Fei Yanggu, were different; this matter could not be taken lightly.
After hearing the explanation, Yinti felt helpless.
The various troubles that had recently plagued Yinti had left him extremely annoyed, while Yinzhen was focusing on investigating the people around him. It seems that Yinzhen had uncovered the inside story.
Qingyan stood on the deck of the warship, her almond-shaped eyes looking straight ahead. A warship was sailing on the sea, with colorful flags fluttering on it. Yinzhen frowned slightly and quickly took the binoculars from Su Peisheng's hand to carefully observe the other party's movements.
"Damn it! This is Qing Dynasty waters, how could there be pirates?" Yinzhen exclaimed in surprise.
What?! Pirates?!
Qingyan was stunned. Was her luck too good? Why did she always run into trouble every time she went out?
"Impossible, the pirates would never come!" Yinti didn't believe it and snatched the telescope from Yinzhen's hand, looking at the ship on the sea.
Damn it!
Yinti was somewhat at a loss. They had trained for so long, and it would be best if they went through a naval battle; otherwise, they would never know if they were truly capable.
"Don't just stand there, sound the battle alarm right now!" Fei Yanggu patted Yinzhen to bring him back to his senses. "Little darling, hurry to the flower hall and take care of the three children with the First Princess. Lock the flower hall from the inside, and absolutely no one is allowed to go out!"
A solemn expression appeared in the eyes of Fei Yanggu and his two sons. They were going out to sea with them to ensure their safety.
"Yes!" Qingyan didn't dare to throw a tantrum and ran straight to the flower hall.
At this moment, Lady Yin Genjue was holding a cup of red tea, admiring the sea view. She saw Qing Yan dart in from outside like a gust of wind, which puzzled her.
"Little darling, why are you in such a hurry? Is there something you're taking?" Yin Genjue Luo's question made Qing Yan smile bitterly.
Perhaps it would be better to be an ignorant participant like Yin Genjue Luo.
Qingyan immediately locked the door to the flower hall, but through the boat window, she could still see what was happening outside.
"Sister-in-law, we've encountered pirates!" As soon as Qingyan said this, Yin Genjue Luo covered her mouth, afraid that her scream would disturb the children.
"Are you sure?!" Yin Genjue Luo's voice trembled.
Qingyan nodded. If possible, she would prefer to return safely.
"Have our ships come out with cannonballs?" The Yin Genjue Luo clan members were not afraid of fighting. They came from a family of military generals and had some experience.
"Yes!" Yinzhen followed Qingyan's arrangement. Every time he went out for a real trip, he would bring enough cannons, just in case a similar situation happened.
In the previous few attempts, Yinzhen and his entourage had been fortunate enough to miss the pirates. Today was a chance, a real opportunity to test the trainees.
"Actually, this is also a good thing, as it allows them to learn from actual combat experience!" Qing Yandao said eagerly. Every time they went on an expedition, Fei Yanggu and others were always at the forefront.
Qingyan took out a flintlock pistol from her purse, loaded the bullets into it, and put it back in her purse. If anyone dared to break in, she wouldn't hesitate to send them away with firearms.
At this moment, Yinzhen had already instructed his crew to begin the final countdown to the battle. The opposing ships glanced at the Eight Banners flags on the ship and smiled coldly. The Qing navy was very weak. If they could annihilate this ship in one fell swoop, the navy should be completely out of the Qing's sphere of influence.
Qingyan activated the spatial probe, carefully observing the movements of the opposite ship.
That group consisted of three ships, and their cannons weren't as plentiful as theirs. However, she was certain that the person in charge was of a very high status.
"Fourth Prince, you must be careful. We've met a tough opponent today!" Qingyan used the spatial communication device to provide the information to Yinzhen.
Yinzhen looked straight ahead, at the flagpole opposite him, where a flag with a skull and crossbones was hanging.
"Signal with flags." As the enemy ships approached, Yinzhen specially arranged for two flag signalmen to stand at the highest point and signal with flags.
There was no response from the other party, and Yinzhen realized that the other party was probably not one of their people.
"Brother, they must be pirates. We must give them a good beating and make a name for ourselves!" Yinzhen recalled that Qingyan had mentioned that the leaders of those pirates were all of high status, basically royalty from other countries, who took advantage of the opportunity of their ships going to sea to disguise themselves as pirates.
In the past, after plundering, pirates would usually pocket the jewelry and silver, since their ships were privately owned, which was different from the situation in the Qing Dynasty.
“Prince Zhi, this servant believes we must fight hard. As soon as they get close, we must attack. We cannot let them fire the first shot.” Fei Yanggu also had his own ideas. The soldiers’ morale was high, and it was important to maintain it to prevent anyone from spreading alarmist rumors.
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